Have you ever done a photo scavenger hunt? It’s that college or youth group staple which asks its participants to run, bike or drive around a city or campus and take photos of themselves in different locations, completing different tasks or meeting different people.
Now can you imagine combining a photo scavenger hunt with an engagement portrait session? Because, that is exactly what I did with Alissa and David this fall.
This is something I probably wouldn’t have dreamt up on my own, so I have to give all the credit to Alissa.
Beforehand, as we messaged back and forth about their engagement photos, one thing that kept coming up with her was how much she and David absolutely loved Milwaukee. Originally from Green Bay, the two of them had lived in Milwaukee for a number of years now. Maybe, it’s because they’re transplants, but they have a fresh perspective on the Cream City.
Another thing that came up was Alissa’s own admission that she is indecisive. So, when she talked about wanting to visit some of Milwaukee’s most notable locations she didn’t like the idea of cutting any of them out of the list. So, when she suggested the Pritzlaff building because of the cream city brick texture and I suggested the Milwaukee Art Museum, we kept both locations on the list. And, then when she suggested the beach with a view of the skyline and I suggested the Third Ward Neighborhood we kept both of those two. And, then for good measure we added two locations showcasing the Hoan Bridge, one of her favorite locations and a walking trail where she, David and her dog frequently walked.
Saint Francis Seminary
The walking trail was the Nojoshong Trail, that leads up the Seminary Woods Cemetary and then Saint Francis Seminary. When she mentioned this trail, I immediately suggested actually going into the seminary grounds, because it’s so beautiful.
I treated the beginning of our session as a more traditional engagement photoshoot, staying there for an hour and working with some nice nature spots, some building spots and then a vine covered walkway.
Starting at the Saint Francis Seminary was a short drive for me from my home in Bay View. Saint Francis itself is a suburb directly south of Milwaukee touching the shores of Lake Michigan. This is an absolutely beautiful community. For almost four years I actually lived within walking distance of the seminary and I would take walks through the campus.
They have some beautifully majestic buildings and a wide driveway graced with huge trees that lead from Lake Drive to their main building. The driveway is long and it is built to look stunning and awe-inspiring. You feel small when you walk down it. It then leads to a roundabout and their main building is a multi-story mansion with cream pillars.
We started out south of their main campus at the Nojoshong Trail leading up to the Seminary Woods Cemetery area and no, it’s not just a cemetery but it is an actual woods that surround a cemetery. And, there are plenty of spots in the woods to take portraits that don’t include headstones.
For this spot, Alissa and David brought their dog and we took photos of the three of them playing and hiking around. For this, Alissa and David wore something more casual and earthy, but more sporty. They both wore jeans and David wore a simple sweater on top and Alissa wore a light cream-colored jacket over a brown blouse.
Importantly, Alissa and David also brought their aunt and uncle who lived nearby to wrangle their dog whenever he didn’t make that specific set of portraits.
After the woods, we walked onto campus, took some photos at a building with me eyeing the beautiful pillars and then set up a shot at the aforementioned driveway. We finished up at the vine-covered walkway and then walked back to our cars.
All the favorite city highlights
After that, it was game on and by the end of the night we would drive to a new spot, take 5-10 photos and then cruise over to the next! We still didn’t want to cut anything out, so even though the sun went down and we were working in the dark we still stayed out there taking photos at the Hoan Bridge and Milwaukee Art Museum.
If anyone out there is looking to do a photo session at the Saint Francis Seminary, I would highly recommend it. It’s a great alternative to a busier more trafficked location like Boerner Botanical Gardens or Grant Park.
It’s such a beautiful spot and all they ask is that you call ahead of time and get permission to take portraits. There was no cost to it, which is a huge bonus, because even some local parks are now charging for portraits. And, they didn’t require that much notice. I actually called that morning and they set it all up by the afternoon. All I needed to do was stop by the main building and grab the permit from the office.
After the seminary, we didn’t have to travel far to get to our first location that included the Milwaukee skyline. This was a favorite spot for me that I’ve visited a lot of times, not even to take photos but just because it’s beautiful. It’s the beach at Bay View Park and you can see the entire downtown Milwaukee across the lake north of you. I even took maternity photos of my wife here.
From there we went straight to the Milwaukee Pierhouse Lighthouse Parking Lot, which I knew would have a fun closeup and personal view of the Hoan Bridge. This is right next to the Third Ward Neighborhood and the Pritzlaff Building. The nice thing about the Pritzlaff Building was that all we had to do was walk a block east and I could get a portrait of Alissa and David with the Milwaukee Public Market in the background.
We had been taking these photos in dusk and by the time we left the Pritzlaff Building it was getting pitch dark, so I took out my flash and took some photos on the walking bridge leading up to the Milwaukee Art Museum and their famous wings. I’ve photographed there so many times, but that might have been my first portrait session in the absolute dark!
After that, we made it to one more location with the Hoan Bridge in the far distant background, a fishing spot west of the bridge. I knew we’d get a full spanning view of the bridge and at night Milwaukee turns on flashing multi-colored lights.
It was a fun night and it took quite a bit of thought, planning and logistics, but I was forever grateful to Alissa and David for coming up with a new challenge for me.
